Taking the whole family on the Paleo journey can be daunting. Kids can be picky eaters to begin with, and when you take away typical kid foods like macaroni and cheese, things could get ugly. Give these kid-friendly recipes a try to keep your kids both happy and healthy.
Besides the alliteration in the name of this recipe, I love the general concept. Kids really love these freezer pops, but the store-bought ones are no more than high-fructose corn syrup, dyes, and artificial flavor. Let’s make some healthy ones in our favorite flavors!
2. Homemade Blackberry Fruit Roll-ups
You just can’t beat these knock off Fruit Roll-Ups when it comes to making kids happy. It’s unknown what exactly is in the store bought stuff, but it’s a guarantee that it wasn’t around 100 years ago let alone 10,000 years ago. How about real fruit in those roll ups?
3. Frozen Chocolate Dipped Banana Popsicles
This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy banana in the summertime. You can use the shredded toasted coconut, or switch it up and try crushed nuts (or even just have them plain). I’d make some half-sized, as a whole one might be too much for some smaller children.
Not only is this bread Paleo and delicious and perfectly kid-friendly, but it also has adaptations to be totally major-allergen-free. It has no eggs, and you can replace the almond meal with sunflower seed meal to make it completely nut-free as well as dairy- and egg-free.
Chicken tenders are kind of a kid thing. Who knows why? Impress them tonight with these healthy and grain-free chicken tenders with a potato flour and arrowroot coating that has a similar flavor to ranch dressing! They’re made with a homemade easy ranch seasoning.
Photo: Camille Macres
Crepes are a special breakfast or dessert the whole family can enjoy. This version is made with plantains and their magic stay-together abilities! They’re unsweetened, so if you want to use them with savory fillings instead of fruit, go right ahead.
7. Moroccan Carrot and Sweet Potato Fries
These “fries” are really nutritious root vegetables. But if you cut them into fry shapes and serve them up the same way you would white potatoes (try a homemade ketchup, maybe!) you’ll impress the kids and yourself as you get them to eat a real vegetable the healthy way.
Kids love fruit leather: it’s kind of a kid fact. It’s chewy, sweet, comes in fun colors, and it’s fun to eat. Try this mango fruit leather as an easy, mostly mess-free snack that they can eat in the car, on errands, at school, on vacation, or anywhere else you need an easy, shelf-stable snack.
9. Chocolate Avocado Pudding Pops
Pudding pops are a sweet and creamy summer kids’ favorite. Make them healthier with healthy fats like avocado—which also has the magic ability to make popsicles creamy without any dairy! These are so tasty that you’d even have fun making them along with your kids.
Photo: Sprouting Healthy Habits
10. Coconut and Almond Flour Healthy Pancakes
Kids love pancakes. They’re a fun shape, and they’re often made of ingredients that serve as a quick source of energy—something kids’ bodies instinctually crave. Try this healthy version made with almond flour, coconut flour, eggs, mashed banana, and almond milk. Top with the favorites!
11. Tahini and Wholegrain Mustard Crackers
I love these crackers! Vegetables sticks are great, but sometimes you (or the kids) just need a nice cracker you can spread with nut butter, homemade healthy jam, or have with pepperoni, etc. These are easy to make and great for school lunches, and they taste awesome!
12. Chicken Strips With Honey Mustard Sauce
These chicken strips have a thicker breading with almond flour and shredded coconut seasoned with paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Kids will love these with the honey mustard sauce—raw honey, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar.
13. Creamy Paleo Chocolate Milkshake
This milkshake is enjoyed by kids and adults alike, and it doesn’t rely on bananas for its creamy texture. You’ll need your choice of dairy-free milk, frozen avocado, cocoa powder, soft dates, vanilla, nut butter, and ice cubes. Top with a few cacao nibs and you’ve got a real treat.
Photo: Healthy Nibbles And Bits
14. Avocado Semifreddo With Strawberries and Basil
Got kids with a sophisticated palate? Have them try this Italian ice cream cake! Semifreddo means semi-frozen, and this is an ice cream “cake” served partially frozen and flavored with fruit, pistachios, chopped basil, and maple syrup. You could leave the nuts out if necessary.
15. Honey Graham Dippers With Cashew Vanilla Frosting
Remember those cookies with the little frosting packet the kids used to love before you made the whole family Paleo? Yeah, not so good! But now you can make them a healthy lunchbox treat with almond flour, gelatin, chia seeds, coconut milk, seasonings, and a delicious cashew vanilla frosting.
16. Meatloaf Cupcakes With Sweet Potato Frosting
No, these aren’t dessert. But if you can’t get your kids to eat meatloaf, cooking it in a muffin tin and topping it with mashed sweet potatoes so you can call it “cupcakes” might be the way to go! Making healthy food fun is a great way to convince kids to give it a try.
17. Chicken Fingers With Garlic Honey Dijon Dipping Sauce
I love how thick and beautiful the coating is on these babies, and your kids will, too! The speckles are from black sesame seeds, but you could always use white ones. The chicken is tender and perfectly seasoned, too, but my favorite part is the amazing dipping sauce!
Photo: Great food And Lifestyle
My favorite part about these cupcakes is the confetti look when you bite into them! The dried berries create a flecked appearance and add a lovely fruity sweetness any kid will fall in love with. They also happen to be completely Paleo, made from cashew flour and raw honey!
19. Homemade Electrolyte Orange Kiwi Citrus Slushie
What kid doesn’t love a slushy? All of them do! The best part about this slushy is that it’s packed with electrolytes, which means it’s great for kids who are running around on hot summer days, and it’s also perfect for grown-ups after your workout!
20. Sticky Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
These are super kid-friendly because they have a sticky and sweet coating that’s so delicious. Adults love them, too! These chicken wings have a yummy glaze of honey, coconut aminos, grated ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and chili flakes (maybe leave those out, depending on how old your kids are and what they can handle).
This granola is not only grain-free, but it’s also nut-free! That’s almost unheard of for a Paleo granola. So what’s the secret? Banana chips! This granola has a kid-friendly flavor and would be perfect over coconut yogurt, or just to snack on by the handful.
22. Healthy Paleo Apple Bites
We originally came up with these as a way to give kids something healthy at a time when sugar highs are the norm: Halloween. But they come in handy anytime they want a snack that is good for them, but tastes like it isn’t.
23. Chocolate Avocado Chia Pudding
Speaking of pudding, here’s a chocolate version! This one also uses avocado, and if your kids (or you) are sensitive to the texture of chia pudding, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s super smooth and creamy without any goopy texture. Also, chocolate! Win.
24. Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sometimes you just need a chocolate chip cookie—know what I mean? For those times when you’re willing to allow a little more sugar than usual into your kids’ diet in the name of a special treat, these cookies are really the perfect recipe. You won’t miss Toll House anymore!
25. Roasted Sweet Potato Bites
As far as vegetables go, sweet potatoes are especially kid-friendly. They have a smooth texture, they’re slightly sweet, and they’re a nice orange color. So why not take advantage of that? Serve your whole family these kid-friendly sweet potato bites with dried herbs.
Photo: Grits And Chopsticks
26. Banana Almond Chia Pudding
This pudding is a great replacement for kids’ regular puddings, and it’s nutritious enough to eat for breakfast. Made from ripe bananas, coconut milk, and chia seeds, it’s creamy, sweet, and rich in healthy fats, proteins, and Omega 3s for growing bodies.
Pitaya, also known as dragonfruit, is the naturally hot-pink fruit of the organ pipe cactus. This smoothie is so hot pink that no kid can resist it, even though it’s also packed with cucumber, chia seeds, bee pollen, coconut yogurt, and other healthy add-ins.
These yummy banana pops are covered in a delicious honey-sweetened mixture of melted cocoa butter and coconut butter. If you want to make these outside of Halloween season, you can just serve them plain or sprinkle the chocolate chips over them instead of making ghosts.
Kids love meatballs. They’re a great shape, and there’s a song about them, so how can you go wrong? These Italian meatballs are excellent served up with spaghetti sauce over your favorite grain-free pasta dish. Spaghetti squash? Zucchini noodles? Your pick!
Photo: Kim’s Cravings
30. Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes With Chocolate Icing
These awesome cupcakes don’t even have any flour replacement like almond meal or coconut flour. They’re magic! Frost them with this decadent maple-sweetened chocolate cashew frosting. These would be awesome for a birthday party or special treat!
31. Grandma’s Apple Pie in a Jar
The novelty of eating apple pie from a jar is part of the kid appeal on this dish. They get their own jar to themselves so they feel special, and the classic flavors of apple pie are enough to make them request this dessert again and again.
These crackers have a great kid-friendly shape, and they’d be perfect for dipping in homemade veggie dip, baba ganoush, nut butter, or anything else to help get some extra nutrients into your kiddo’s growing body. You could even trying removing the seasonings and adding a teaspoon each of cinnamon and coconut sugar for a treat.
33. Quick and Easy Nut Butter Freezer Fudge
This fudge would be a fun treat to make with the kids, because it’s so easy and has only four ingredients. You can switch up the nut butter you choose to change up the flavor—it’d be really great with almond, cashew, or hazelnut.
Photo: Paleo Spirit
34. Paleo Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
If your kids can handle the heat, they’ll love these nuggets with coconut flour, Frank’s hot sauce, flax seeds, ghee, and other fantastic ingredients to create the perfect buffalo chicken flavor and crispy texture you want in an awesome chicken nugget.
35. Italian Roasted Cauliflower
This cauliflower is super kid-friendly with its mild but tasty seasoning and its perfect buddy, marinara dipping sauce! I’ve found that providing a (healthy) dipping sauce is a great way to encourage kids to eat vegetables and other foods they wouldn’t normally choose.
You’d be shocked at the ingredients on the typical container of packaged applesauce. So much corn syrup and added sugar! It’s just not necessary. Have fun with your kids making this homemade applesauce with no added sugar. Apples are sweet on their own!
This one of the kid-friendliest Paleo recipes I’ve ever seen. Kids love hot dogs, and wrapping them in a homemade soft pretzel dough is sure to have your kids shoveling them in. The suggested hot dog brand is grass-fed and organic, too!
Photo: Primal Palate
Thanks to these gummy snacks, you can get gut-healing gelatin into the bellies of your kids and family even if they’re not bone broth fans, or it’s too hot where you live to be drinking hot soup. You’ll just need lemon juice, blueberries, and grass-fed gelatin for this version.
Want something a little more interesting than typical applesauce? Give this raspberry version a try! This one also has no added sweetener, but you might choose to add cinnamon, ginger, or another favorite spice.
Finally, here’s another version of carrot fries to trick your kids. Well, maybe you can’t trick them, but you can give them a fun way to eat veggies, right? These carrot fries are seasoned with mint for a fun flavor combination the kids are sure to love.
Photo: IFoodReal
41. Greek Style Chicken Kebabs
I’ve said before that everything tastes better when you put it on a stick. This is something kids seem to know without being taught, and many kids will happily eat foods they wouldn’t normally if you kebabify them (yeah, I made that word up). Try these chicken ones with zucchini and bell peppers!
You can make these little mini pizzas with eggplant rounds, tomato sauce, and pizza toppings. If you’re dairy-free, just leave off the cheese and use pepperoni, pieces of bacon, or anything else your kids like on their pizza. Even though it’s just sauced eggplant, call it pizza—it’s all in the name!
43. Inside-Out Grain Free Oreos
These cookies don’t taste exactly like the Oreos in the package—they’re a whole different animal. Made with an almond meal cookie and a chocolate protein frosting, they’re still a great lunchbox treat, surprise dessert, or fun occasional cookie treat for the kids. And for you!
